The Right Tool for the Job

A couple of weeks ago, we had a crisis with our hot water heater.  As always, when something major happens, I learn an important lesson from the experience.  

To condense the story (because, frankly, it is quite lengthy), let me just say that water was flooding our bathroom and my husband was not in town.  I knew I needed to shut off the water to the house.  My oldest son and I searched and searched for a tool that would do the job.  We went through toolboxes and I tried several different ones, but I couldn't get the knob (or whatever it's called) to turn.  When we finally found the pair of pliers that my husband told me to use (via phone), I still couldn't get it turned off.  Meanwhile, my oldest daughter is emptying buckets and soaking towels in the bathroom to keep the water contained to one room.  

Frustrated that I couldn't get to the knob well enough to turn it, I sent my son down the road to our neighbor for help.  He came back with a long handled tool and thirty seconds later the water was off.  I said, "I'm buying one of these tonight," and I did.  What a difference it made to use a tool that was specifically designed for this purpose!  I was amazed at how much easier it was to accomplish my task.

 

I thought about how that relates to scripture memory and how relevant a verse can be to what is going on in my life.  It's having the right tool for the job.

But the lesson didn't stop there.

After the new water heater was installed, I was ready to use my new tool to turn the water back on.  I tried and tried, and I couldn't get the tool around the knob to turn it.  While I was grumbling and trying to get a grip I somehow moved the metal lid and then noticed the concrete moved.  What do you know?  The whole lid comes off, and there's direct access to the knob.  I had been trying to turn it on and off from a 90 degree angle.  Well, no wonder!  Thirty seconds later the water was back on, and I felt ridiculous.

I learned that it is important to have the right tool for the job, but if I'm not using it the way it is intended, my situation is going to be more difficult.  How does this relate to learning Bible verses?  The verses are my tool, but if I don't memorize them to have immediately available in my mind, then I'm not able to use the tools the way they are meant to be used.

I've fallen off track with this goal, and this little crisis helped me see how important it is for me to continue learning those verses and calling them to my mind when I need them.